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A new beginning
Fly away with me Brisbane Photographer and artist Lynette letic has the travelling bug I’ve got a severe case of post-travelling depression. You know when something exciting is going to happen? When you prepare for it months in advance and then all of a sudden IT HAPPENS, and it’s AWESOME and then it’s all over so soon and you miss it so much you want to rewind some of your life and experience it all over again? If you’ve ever been travelling and if in that case it was an extraordinary travelling experience, you will understand exactly what I am talking about. I recently soared halfway across the world to Europe, a land of culture, chaos and magic, where I spent one month in Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Belgrade. Due to a previous visit to Serbia, it was my second time in Belgrade, however first time visiting the others. Apart from eating my body weight in Dutch delicacies and cramming in as many tourist sights and attractions into three days in Paris, I spent a predominant amount of time capturing the beauty of each of these beautiful cities. I definitely fit in with my fellow tourist friends as we snapped up everything these European cities had to offer. Everything was so different; the people, the architecture, the weather, the culture. I ended up returning to Brisbane with additions to my snow globe collection and abundance of other souvenirs and knick knacks, thirteen rolls of film and the some incredible memories. Returning to regular routine and lifestyle has bored me and still after three months, I am longing. the feeling of being in a country where I can hang out in the sunlight and not have to worry about contracting skin cancer anytime soon.
It’s your round Jamie alexander wants you to try Something new and offers a different point of view
Now, I have a bone to pick with (well, this whole magazine) but also the hippy indie kids who read it. It’s about your alcohol taste, or lack thereof. Every time I get dragged to an indie bar I end up lining up and having to listen to the same order over and over again; vodka and some sort of generic m ixer. Why on earth would you drink something that tastes much too close to Metho for my liking, when there are so many alternatives that not only cost the same, but taste a lot less like used chemicals? Now, I know what you’re going to say, “I love vodka, it’s my favourite!” I bet you haven’t even tried half the other types of spirits that are available to you. Now, I’m not recommending anything, cough rum cough, but just go out and try new things. Actually, you know what; I am going to recommend some stuff. Bourbon is a good place to start if you have never had dark spirits before, because it is quite smooth. Also, from a male perspective, it makes you seem like less of a girly little softy, which can only be a good thing. If you can’t take that then the least I think you can try is some other clear spirits. White rum is pretty much just tastier vodka, and so many different brands all with subtle variations and all mix with almost everything. The slogan should be, White Rum: A lot less chemically potent and girly than vodka. And if you find that you really don’t like any of the alternatives, don’t drink! If you know me you’ll realize that is a big statement, but if you don’t enjoy what you’re drinking (and trust me, you don’t really like vodka), you shouldn’t be doing it just to get drunk. (I note here that by law I have to condone safe drinking, it’s a pain in the ass) Whatever you do, next time you go out, go to the bar, and when the word vodka is about to come out of your mouth, just replace it something else, or even ask the bar tender what he would recommend. They may rip you off, but they do it all the time so at least in theory they should know what they’re talking about. Happy Drinking.
How to spot a gay Is there really a secret to having a gaydar? Ryan fraser investigates.
I’ve had lots of reactions when I’ve come out to people. Most people don’t say m uch at all. Some people are surprised. Some girls in clubs even go to the extreme of shouting “I LOVE YOU” at the top of their lungs while pulling me into a tight embrace. However by far the strangest response I receive on a regular basis is “But you’re not like a normal gay guy”. This both surprises and confuses me. I often ask myself, what am I doing wrong!? Is there some manual that I haven’t read? Is ‘Being Gay for Dummies’ a title I should look out for? This has lead me to an internal dilemma of sorts. I love to listen to dubstep and Australian hip hop, I prefer a beer to a cocktail glass of fruity concoctions, I outfit repeat with extreme regularity and I don’t even have a particular love for musical theatre. It’s come to my attention that, according to societal stereotypes, I’m not even gay!
This raises a number of questions for me. In order to be considered gay do I have to act gay? If so, what is it to act gay? Should I develop a lisp? Should I invest in more scarves and tighter pants? Should I be proclaiming my allegiance to Lady Gaga as some sort of deity? All of this seems quite peculiar to m e. Sure, occasionally I’ll go shopping with some girl friends, I study visual art and sometimes I’ll dance and use m y hips more than I should, but the thought that every gay guy has the same characteristics baffles me. Believe me, if I knew who all the gay guys in Brisbane were, life would be a hell of a lot easier. I feel a certain amount of angst about this issue. I don’t see it as a plausible option to shout from the rooftops that I’m different while also demanding equality, when, as far as I can see, I’m just like everyone else. Simply allowing people to know that I’m gay surely shouldn’t change how I see or present myself and certainly not my interests. So I’ve decided, I for one am going to continue to be the walking contradiction that I have apparently been for years. I will continue to show a disregard for what I wear and drink beers with the guys. And I certainly won’t be attending the Monster Ball in a terrible remake of a Gaga outfit. So be proud of who you are! B ut don’t let societal stereotypes dictate what that is! And to people w ho want the secret to having a gaydar, I’ll give you a tip. If a guy is attached to your dick, I’m pretty sure that he’s gay.